Month: April 2013

When you plan out your story, you need to figure out what makes it unique. What makes it stand out from the rest? In our story, Titanic Deception, we used a conspiracy theory that already existed, that the Titanic was switched with the injured Olympic, and that made her vulnerable on the crossing. We added in a fictional fix-it corporation that helped the White Star Line recoup the money they lost when the Olympic was damaged and hid the evidence. All this comes to light in 2012, when our hero, Michael, discovers his grandmother’s diary. Proving it is the hard part, but this was our unique hook.

So, what’s the hook for your book? What makes it different? What keeps it from being predictable? Does your protagonist have a back story that gives him a perspective no one else has? Does the ending have a surprise twist? Find something that will make the reader want to pick up your book instead of the one next to it, then keep the reader turning the pages through good storytelling and storycraft. Top it off with excellent editing and formatting to make the book a pleasure to read. You want to give the reader the full package. Like the first blossoms in spring, you want your hook to entrance and engage your reader.